The Wizard

This guy is the greatest, an amazing human and one of the finest musicians ever. A living legend who is an example for us all.

I might actually get this one next time I spend on gaming, especially since I have an human guitar instructor in the house that is very interested in this line of product.

When this things gets released someone post if it's any good, I'm very curious.

BTW -- I am not on Facebook, never have been, and I enjoy the fact that I am starting to miss people's FB-announced-only social events. Obviously I'm not a neophyte (I have probably 20 profiles at every other kind of site currently - literally hundreds of social profiles over the decades I've been online), I just hate Facebook. Hated it from day 1, hate it more now that every moron on the planet is using it to replace all forms of human interaction.

Some readers might know that I have experience programming databases and data warehousing systems, and running reports on such data. If you've been feeding your daily personal information and habits to Facebook or some other services and don't worry about it, I think in the next 2-4 years you will see software developed that makes you wish you could delete all that data. Of course you can't, and you don't 'own' it anymore once it's online.

The real fear isn't that these new systems will come to your house to take you away because of something you've done wrong. Nor is it scary to think that the drugstore and every other retailer wants to track me in order to sell me more items (preferably those with the highest profit margin). My real concern is when these system miscalculate or use a faulty algorithm and you are tagged as something/someone you are not. I wonder if there's any sexual predators named Mark Elliot Zuckerberg in the world?

Plus nowadays, I just turn off the TV to end up on Netflix, Hulu, or watching a DVD for another couple hours. So I've finally done something I've wanted to do for years -- yes, today the man is coming to shut OFF my cable. It's called "capping the line" according to my friendly cable company rep, who's voice dropped to a silent defeat when I told him I want to keep my broadband and get rid of the cable package. He must have known from my cheap package and the tone of my voice that I wasn't going to be talked out of it.

I think I've lived with cable about 29 of the past 30 years so it will be an adjustment for sure. I'll have to report back after a few months. But for now, today is the big day, February 2011, goodbye Pawn Stars. Goodbye Top Chef. Goodbye Operacion Repo. Goodbye Sportscenter. Goodbye Daily Show and Colbert. Goodbye Chelsea Lately. Goodbye Tosh.O. Goodbye anything else that I can't find (or won't bother to watch) on the internet.

If I can survive this cold-turkey I'll probably end up with Apple TV and an iPad sharing more media than ever before to every room in my house. But at least it will be things selected by me, and my preferred* 'promotional messages' will be selected by me also.

*yeah right

I have to admit, it kinda feels right having the rest of the country mocking and simplifying our local issues again. 'Lebron left and the rest of the team is horrible' goes the line. Too bad that's not really the truth. This team currently has 2 players suited up left over from the Lebron years, and LBJ screwed them so hard with the way he handled his decision that it could take years to get back to being a contender.

There's also the forgotten fact that there is serious labor trouble coming for the NBA this off-season, forcing a majority of the league to completely shut down player transactions this season due to the fear of union renegotiations coming soon. The Cavs started this year with a mish-mash team with little offensive talent, and have been completely handcuffed from starting any rebuilding this season. So it's lose time, and then go out and lose lose lose lose some more. Hard to watch but so is 2 feet of snow and 10 degrees, again.

Going from first to worst almost never happens in sports, but Cleveland has always had a flair for the dramatic (especially in the failure department!). Kinda feels like the natural order is restored and my underdog status is secure. I've been divorced and I know how to recover - better, stronger, faster.

Lebron ain't won anything yet. The challenge still stands. Go Cadavers!

I gotta say one big thing I think Star Trek missed is how all this cool gadgetry will be used for games and diversions. Instead of the complications of building (and scheduling) an actual holodeck, seems like we will just bring the virtual reality right into real reality with us. Foursquare, Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, AT&T, Verizon, etc. all tracking where we are and hooking us into a fully location-aware, environmentally aware, internetly-aware, and personal-life aware device sitting right on our bodies at all times. We want our Hulu and Youtube and www and navigation and social boards/walls/twitters and all they really want from us is the ability to pry more $$ out of our accounts without us realizing it.

It's cool though, welcome to the 21st century, one of our own making. I know mother nature could still shut it all down and start over so we just have to progress to the next level.

Not since the Browns left Cleveland for Baltimore 15 years ago has the city received so much moral support from the rest of the country. Witness South Park's take on the Unchosen One's "explanation". Too funny.

"With every goddess a let down
every idol a bring down
It gets you down

But the search for perfection
your own predilection
Goes on and on and on"

-- Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music "Mother of Pearl"